Pipe-coupling



(No Model.)

Gr. GIBBS.

Y PIPE GOUPLING. No. 375,547. Patented Dec. 27, 1'88'7.

,/XIMW v WWW Z 2 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE GIBBS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

PIPE-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formi-ng part of Letters Patent No. 375,547, datedDecember 27, 1887.

(No model.)

.To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, GEORGE GrBBs, ofMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin,have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in PipeGouplings; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention relates to pipe-couplings; and it consists in certainpeculiarities of construction and combination of parts, to behereinafter described with referenceto the accornpanying drawings, andsubsequently claimed. In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a sec tionalview of my pipe-coupling taken on line 1 1, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a face viewof one of the two sections constituting my device; Fig. 3, a rear viewof the other section; Figs. 4 and 5, detail views of an expansiblediaphragm and an annulus attached thereto; Fig. 6, a section on line 66, Fig. 2; Fig. 7, aplan view of the coupling-section illustrated byFig. 3; Fig. 8, a side elevation of my device; and Figs. 9 and 10,similar views of the couplingsections detached.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents a shell having areduced extremity, a, to which it is designed to connect a steam orother pipe in any suitable manner. The other extremity of the shell isolfset to form a shoulder, b, and ange c, the latter being iuteriorlyprovided with screwthreads to engage a screw-threaded ring, B, that hasoutwardly-extended and inwardly-turned anges d. Interposed between thering and the shoulder b of the shell A, to forman airtight joint, is adiaphragm, C, of brass or other expansible material. The diaphragm C hasa central opening, and secured to this diaphragm in any suitable manner,but preferably by spinning a portion thereof through the opening andover upon said diaphragm, is an annulus, D. The shell A, ring B, anddiaphragm C, havinglhe annulus D secured thereto, form one section of mycoupling. coupling is preferably composed of a shell, E, and a gasket,F, the latter being made of soft metal or other suitable material,seatedinsaid shell, as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, and arranged to comeagainst the annulus D when the sect-ions are united; but, if founddesirable, the gasket may be omitted.

rIhe other section of my' 'Ihe extremity e of the shell E is designedAwardly-extended ears f,adapted to engage the flanges d on the ring B.The inwardly-turned portions d of the flanges d on the ring B haveconcave inner faces, and tlfe outer faces of the earsf on the shell Eare convex, as best illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7. I

To unite the coupling-sections the shell E is held so that its ears fwill lie in the spaces between the flanges d on the ring B, and thengiven a quarter-turn to bring said ears under the inwardly extendedportions d of said ilanges. As the ears f of the shell E enter theflanges d of the ring B, the diaphragm will yield to the pressureoccasioned by the convex faces of said ears coming against the concavefaces of the inwardlyextended portions d of said iianges. l the centersof the earsf have passed the point of entrance, and then decreases inthe same proportion as the remainder of these ears pass said point ofentrance.

By the time the cen- This yield increases until ters of the ears are inline with the centers of the flanges their convex faces will iit theconcave faces of the inwardly-extended portions d of said anges, and theelasticity of the diaphragm C will force the annulus D against thegasketF to hold said faces in close contact,

and also form an `air-tight joint between the couplingsections, theparts being then in the position best illustrated by Figs. 1 and 8.

The reduced extremities a e of the shells A E have an equal bore thatcorresponds in diameter to and registers with the openings in theannulus Dand gasket F; but between said extremity of the shell A and thediaphragm C there is an enlarged space or chamber, g, that permits anexpansion of steam or other iuid passing through the pipes to exert akpressure at this point against said diaphragm A C, thus aiding thelatter to keep said annulus and gasket in close contact.

The special advantagesof my coupling are, that I obtain the requisiteelasticity between the joints by an expansible diaphragm, instead of bya rubber or other perishable gasket, as is ordinarily the case indevices of this character, and the Wear in my coupling is conned tothatoccasioned by two hard or durable surfaces in frictional contact; atthe same time the wear is taken up by the expansibility of saiddiaphragm under pressure and the inequalities of the bearing-surfacescorrected, thereby securing a tight joint.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pipe-coupling consisting of one seetion provided with au expansiblediaphragm havinga suitable opening, and an annulus secured to thediaphragm in register with the opening therein, and anothersectionprovided with a gasket of suitable material arranged to impinge againstsaid annulus, substantially as set forth.

2. A pipe-coupling comprising a section composed of a shell, abinding-ring provided with outwardly extended and inwardly turnedflanges, an expansiblc diaphragm having asuitf able opening, and anannulus suitably secured to the diaphragm in register with the openingtherein, and another section composed of a shell provided with ears toengage said flanges, and a gasket seated in the shell to impinge againstthe annulus, substantially as set forth.

3. Apipevcoupling comprisingasection composed ofa shell, a binding-ringprovided with outwardly-extended and inwardly-turned ears, the latterportions of these anges being concave upon their inner faces, anexpansible diaphragm having a suitable opening, and an annulus securedto the diaphragm in register with the opening therein, and anothersection composed of a shell provided with ears having convex outer facesfor engagement with said flanges, and a gasket seated in the shell toirnpinge against the annulus, substantially as set forth.

4. A pipe-coupling comprising a section composed of a shell having anenlarged space or chamber, an expansible diaphragm' seated within theshell to form one'wall of said chamber and provided with a suitableopening, and an annulus secured to the diaphragm in register with theopening therein, and another section composed of a shell that connectswith the lformer shell and is provided with a gasket to impinge againstthe annulus, substantially as set forth.

5. A pipecoupling comprising the shell A, having the reduced extremitya, shoulder b, lange c, and chamber g, the ring B, having anges d, thediaphragm C, annulus D, the Shell E, having the reduced extremity e andears f, and the gasket F, all arranged to operate substantially as setforth.

6. A pi pe-coupling consisting of one section provided with anexpansible diaphragm having a suitable opening, and an annulus securedto the diaphragm to register with the opening therein, and anothersection arranged to impinge against the annulus, substantially as setforth.

7. A pipe-coupling consisting of one section provided with an expansiblediaphragm having a suitable opening, au annulus having a portion thereofspun through the opening and over upon said diaphragm, and anothersection arranged to impinge against said annulus, substantially as setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee. in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

GEORGE GIBBS.

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, MAURICE la". FREAR.

